Tel Aviv University Students Help Keep Women’s Rights on the Agenda at the UN

Traveling to Geneva, the students witnessed firsthand the challenges and urgency of sustaining international human rights efforts

From February 3 to 21, 2025, the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) convened in Geneva, Switzerland for its 90th session, addressing critical issues affecting women’s rights globally. Among those present were two Tel Aviv University (TAU) students, Maya Zippor Ben Tsvi and Roni Shaked, who attended the session as interns to Prof. Daphna Hacker, a member of CEDAW and a full professor in TAU’s Faculty of Law and Women and Gender Studies Program.

“When it comes to the committee, even in Geneva and even at the UN, Daphna is always one of the most professional people in the room,” reflects Shaked on her experience attending CEDAW with Hacker for the second time.

“To be there, surrounded by feminists from around the world, like Egypt and Australia and the UK and the Netherlands, and to know that we’re all from different homes and countries but we care about the same things … it gave me hope.”—Roni Shaked

Attending the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women 

CEDAW, a key UN body dedicated to monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, reviews the progress of countries every four years. Each country’s delegation presents a report on its adherence to the convention, while committee members scrutinize their commitments, ask questions and provide recommendations.

With support from The Lowy International School, Zippor Ben Tsvi and Shaked had the opportunity to travel to Geneva and contribute to the committee’s work, helping draft questions and recommendations on cases brought before CEDAW.

Daphna Hacker (far right) and Roni Shaked (second from the right) at a Chinese New Year’s festival that took place during their time in Geneva.

For both TAU students, their involvement at CEDAW was an extension of their academic and professional commitment to human rights. Zippor Ben Tsvi, a master’s student in law supervised by Hacker, works on reproductive rights.

“When I heard Daphna was a member of the CEDAW Committee, I asked if there was a way to get involved, maybe learning more about the procedure and the work of the committee.”—Zippor Ben Tsvi

Shaked, a research assistant for Hacker for the last couple of years, is just finishing her bachelor’s in law and is about to begin her master’s; she previously attended CEDAW with Hacker in May and was excited to attend again. “It’s really a special experience to be there,” Shaked says.

Tackling Women’s Rights Across the Globe

Zippor Ben Tsvi attended the CEDAW session for the first week, when dialogues for Nepal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Belarus were presented. Shaked attended the second week, when women’s rights in Belize, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka and the DRC (an additional time) were reviewed.

CEDAW’s 90th session highlighted a broad range of human rights concerns. In the DRC, discussions centered on widespread sexual violence amid ongoing conflict. Belarus faced scrutiny over its authoritarian policies, including crackdowns on protest rights. Nepal’s dialogue highlighted the persistence of child marriage and issues related to LGBTQ+ rights.

Maya Zippor Ben Tsvi (second from the right) and Daphna Hacker (far right) chatting with representatives from NGOs in Nepal.

“In Nepal, the legal situation is quite good—they have feminist laws in place—but enforcement is lacking,” Zippor Ben Tsvi observed. “They have intentions, but implementation is still a challenge.”

In the lead-up to the trip and during her time at CEDAW, Zippor Ben Tsvi assisted Hacker with questions and recommendations specifically for Nepal, sharing how what she helped draft made it into the final UN report, with two recommendations designated as urgent and to be fulfilled within two years instead of four.

“Seeing something I worked on just months ago become part of official UN recommendations—it was powerful.”—Zippor Ben Tsvi

A Lesson in Global Political Complexities 

Shaked and Zippor Ben Tsvi also saw firsthand how varied the issues are across countries, and how they often relate to political complexities. Shaked noted how all countries have issues that can be worked on. “For example, in Liechtenstein, abortion is illegal in most cases, and there’s a significant gender pay gap,” Shaked said. “Also, only men can inherit the monarchy, which is another issue with women’s rights.” 

Daphna Hacker captured on the big screen asking questions while the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women was in session.

The experience also reinforced their views on the importance of the UN, despite its imperfections. “The UN is criticized a lot for not doing enough, for not having real power to enforce its recommendations, but being in the room where people are actively working on human rights was powerful,” Zippor Ben Tsvi said.

She also noted the fragility of these mechanisms, with budget cuts and political withdrawals threatening their sustainability. “While I was there, there were headlines about Trump cutting more UN funding. People were worried—maybe this is the last time, maybe there won’t be money for the next session. But if we don’t have this system, what do we have?”

Finding a Place in the Fight for Human Rights

For both students, the CEDAW experience was transformative. “Being a part of it, entering the UN for the first time and seeing that I’m supposed to be here … it gave me the feeling that it’s not something that is too big for me,” said Zippor Ben Tsvi. “It’s something I can be a part of … I am welcome here, I can work here, I can influence things.” 

Roni Shaked (middle) with two Australian interns, Jen and Charlotte, who work with CEDAW committee member Natasha Stott Despoja.

Both students expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “Some of the other interns were from Europe; they could take a train and stay with relatives,” Shaked noted. “For us, this wouldn’t have been possible without the funding.” Looking ahead, Shaked hopes to continue working in academia or advocacy related to women’s rights, while Zippor Ben Tsvi is about to begin her dream job leading a coalition of Israeli organizations working on reproductive rights.

Despite the political challenges facing CEDAW and the UN at large, their experiences reinforced the importance of international human rights mechanisms. “This model isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we have,” Zippor Ben Tsvi said. “It’s something worth fighting for.”

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